With a Penguin For Company
by Verdin Grey
Summary: A boy wakes up on a mostly deserted island, with only a small blue penguin for company. Contains mild coarse language and a sassy penguin.
1. Chapter 1: Arrival

"Lup."

I groaned, rolling over. "Five minutes, Dad. Jus' need a moment." My hands reached out, grasping futilely for the covers. I felt gritty sand slip through my fingers, and decided it was a problem for later.

"Pip, lup. Piplup pip?" Something soft and warm prodded my nose, and again when I refused to move. "Lup lup- Piplup pip lup."

My body reported in and informed me I was just a bit sore in the everything, especially my nose that was still being poked. Though now the thing poking it was hard and somewhat pointy, but equally insistent. I waited a moment to see if it would stop.

"Pip lup lup pip, lup?" There was also whatever that was, but I got the impression it wasn't going to stop.

Hesitantly, I cracked the sand out of my eyes and saw a small blue penguin. It crossed its flippers, looking proud for a job well done.

"Ah," I said thoughtfully, "That explains it, doesn't it?"

The penguin gave me a sage nod. "Pip."

Arms complaining, I pushed myself up into a sitting position. My hands sank into the sand, which was slightly damp but oddly pleasing. I took a look around, trying to push the rising panic back down my throat.

Palm trees stretched out in either direction, forming an irregular line between the deep greens of a forest and the white sands of the beach. The water- the ocean, given the lack of visible land save a small rocky outcropping- was a crystalline blue that would put the resorts of Bermuda to shame. There was also the blue penguin, whose defiance of reality I was trying to ignore.

A deep breath filled my lungs with warm, salty air. Further from shore, looking into and past the forest, I could see a large hill of sorts that was mostly composed of exposed rock and greenery. Running out of things to look at, I looked back at the penguin, who was waving its flippers in the air.

I flopped back down into the sand. Here I was, in an entirely different reality. "Well, shit."

The penguin- okay, fine, Piplup- bopped me on the nose, waggling a flipper.

"I meant to say darn." And I had just started Persona 5, too.

 **Author's Notes:**

Welcome to the end of the first chapter, however short. Please let me know what you think!

Regards,

Verdin Grey


	2. Chapter 2: Getting Settled

My crisis of reality ended when Piplup blasted me with water.

Hacking and coughing, I spat water out of my mouth. Fresh water, I noted absently, filing that away for later. I gave Piplup my best glare. "Wipe that smug look off your face."

Piplup waved its flippers in a halfhearted shrug, but still managed to look quite smug. "Pip-pip _lup_."

"Sassy little thing, aren't you?" I sighed, wiping what water I could from my already heavily abused clothes. Beyond being dripping wet and somewhat sandy, they were otherwise unharmed. That's a plus, I guess.

It gave me a _look_ , crossing its flippers. If it had eyebrows to speak of, it would have raised one.

"Intelligent company, belligerent company, same difference. At least I have company." I commented, thinking. Whatever Piplup's reaction was, I missed it. In order to survive on this island, at least in the short term, I'd need to get my thoughts in order. And maybe try to form a plan. "So, let's start from the top," I started, extending a hand, "My name is Mason, and thank you for waking me up, I guess?"

Piplup extended a flipper, and we shook on it. "Piplup, pip pip lup piplup," it greeted, I think. Or it was mocking me. Both were equally possible.

This led to the second order of business. I'd been referring to Piplup as an _it_ up to this point, which even internally was starting to get irritating. Assuming Pokémon didn't struggle with gender identity as much as humans did, it was a legitimate question.

"Alright, if we're going to exist around each other, I have to know. Are you male?" A shake of the head. "So female?" A nod. "And you identify as a female as well?" She gave me an incredulous look before nodding again.

On to the third order of business. "I'd ask why you saved me, but I don't speak Pokémon- and you don't speak my language, either. At least we can understand each other, sort of," Piplup thought on this, nodding her head, before gesturing for me to continue. "And on that note, are you planning to stick around? I'm gonna go build a shelter before nightfall- this _is_ a deserted island, right?"

Piplup nodded, thinking again, and I swear I could almost _see_ the idea pop into her head. "Lup! Pip pip piplup," she declared, performing an absurdly acrobatic leap onto my head. "Piiip-lup!" she said, a flipper entering my vision and pointing into the forest.

Cheeky as she was, it was a hell of a lot better than being alone.

I'd had more than enough of that already.

* * *

Piplup had been living in a rather well-protected cave, and for quite a long time based on the tufts of down and the messy 'nest'.

I had helped improve it with some bigger branches to block off part of the entrance while Piplup made a 'bed' for me. She's got a good heart, I guess. From here we had a nice view of the endless expanse of the ocean. Not an ocean I knew or could possibly have known, either.

Something told me I wasn't going home, and I didn't know how to feel about that. At least I'd spoiled Persona 5 for myself- otherwise I would have gone _nuts_. Stepping back and taking a breath, my second attempt at a crisis of reality was interrupted by a growling stomach.

"Hey, Piplup?" I called, looking back over my shoulder.

"Lup?" She called back, her head popping out of a pile of dried grasses.

"What do you do normally do for food? Fishing, berries, or what?" I wonder what Magikarp tasted like. They were probably a very common food, but eating possibly sentient beings would be a new one. Were Magikarp sentient?

"Luuup..." Piplup replied, tapping the underside of her beak in thought,"Piip-lup!" she finished, hopping onto my head.

At least she wasn't terribly heavy. "Do you need an umbrella, miss? Maybe a lounge chair?"

"Piplup." she snarked back, or at least that's what I got from her tone.

A faint smile worked its way onto my face. "I'll get right on it, milady. Right after you show us where dinner is, of course."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Thank you for reading the second chapter of this experimental story. Not much longer than the previous, I know, but this story is rather bite-sized in its format anyways. Please let me know what you thought by reviewing!

Regards,

Verdin Grey


	3. Chapter 3: Connection

"Pip?"

Before I'd gotten trapped on this island- and stranded in another world- I was playing games and generally isolating myself. The last time I had talked to someone was two days before ending up here, so my first 'sensible conversation' in almost three days had been with a _penguin_.

Worlds away from what I knew and loved, stranded on an island, and talking to something one would normally not talk to. At least it wasn't a volleyball, but I wouldn't have minded being the big cheese of a postal company.

"Piiip."

At least I knew how to rough it, vaguely. I watched Les Stroud (you know, Survivorman? Good show, and way more real than Bear Grylls' load of dung) a lot when I was younger, which had to count for something. That and I knew how to improv cook, so provided I could whip up a container of some sort I could start making actual food.

"Piiipluuup."

There was a Pokémon fan story I remembered about a guy dropped into a similar situation, except it was the Orange Islands and he wanted to become a Flying Pokémon master. Personally, I was partial to the resilient Steel types and the often squishy Dark types. I also wasn't planning on going around getting badges, but if the opportunity struck I'd take it. If only for the free ride off the island. Pity the author went on hiatus, but at least he wasn't dead.

"Pip. Lup. Piiip." A flipper smacked me right in the nose, snapping me back to reality.

"Did you-" I muttered, rubbing my nose, "Was that really needed?"

"Pip."

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Fine. What is it?"

Hopping down from my head, Piplup landed in the underbrush. After a moment of rustling, a blue head popped out. "Pip lup?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

* * *

The food issue was at least partially solved. Partially not because of quantity, but because I could see myself getting _very_ sick of berries at some point. So it was solved as long as we didn't overharvest, I didn't overeat, and these berries grew year-round like they did in the games. Assuming I could make a preserve jar I could get sick of Oran and Sitrus _Jam_ , too.

Assuming that very large number of things, we were set on food until...

 _Until when?_

I stopped, hand reaching for another berry. Until a boat- or Pokémon- comes by? Until I make a raft?

"I'm never going home, am I?" I whispered to myself, rolling the thought around in my mouth. It didn't bother me as much as it should have. "I'm stuck here."

My hands trembled, and my heart raced eagerly. Piplup had interrupted it every time it tried to start, but now the knot in my stomach was unravelling.

"Pip?" asked Piplup, flippers waving in front of my face.

Right on cue, I guess. I took a deep breath, and exhaled my doubts and fears- they would only hurt me here. "Yeah?"

"Pip lup," she began, gesturing to the small pile of berries, "Lup lup piplup pip." She mimed a bowl with her flippers, tilting her head.

I frowned, my Piplup Translator apparently not up to scratch. "You think we should make a bowl to carry it with?" When she started nodding, I continued, "Good idea. We can eat these by the beach- it's not that many- and snag some palm leaves to weave a sort of bag for next time. Or for breakfast." I added the last part as an afterthought, thinking about the very near future.

"Pip!" She exclaimed, saluting me.

Some impulse commanded me to reach out and ruffle her head feathers. My fingers slipped through her incredibly soft, downy coat, and her bright eyes closed for a moment. Rubbing her head, I let out a contented sigh. "I don't really know how to say it, but this has been- _good_. I enjoyed myself today, stranded on an island."

Piplup leaned into my hand and sighed as well, and I felt a slight nod. "Pip."

We slipped into a contented silence. A light breeze played with the leaves, rustling faintly and cheerfully. If I concentrated, I could hear the ocean lapping peacefully on the beach.

Then it got awkward. I coughed loudly, lifting my hand from Piplup's head. "Right. Let's get going, shall we?"

Piplup nodded, shaking the lethargy from her feathers. "Piplup," she proclaimed loudly, hopping in the direction of the ocean.

I turned to scoop up the berries- which we had almost forgotten- and quietly followed.

* * *

Berries, despite my misgivings, were a good food source. This was even more true with Poké-berries. They were ridiculously huge, and I wasn't at all certain an Earth biologist would be able to explain how they grew so fast. I'd be looking a gift horse in the mouth to complain, though.

Eating my dinner of berries with a side of more berries next to a penguin, I had a feeling my deserted island cuisine would need some variety in the future. The idea of grilled Magikarp surfaced again, and I again wondered if they were sentient. Either way, I would totally eat one given the chance. After all, pretty much every large sea Pokémon ate them anyways.

Piplup chewed through her third berry- this shaped roughly like a tomato and probably named something silly- and let out an ungraceful burp. Her eyes widened, and she covered her beak daintily. " _Piplup_."

"You are excused. Here, let me give it a shot," I said, gulping down air, "Aaand here goes nothing." I let out an acceptable _belch_ , patting my stomach.

"Pip." she reminded, prodding me.

"Excuse me."

"Pip lup _lup_." She replied, crossing her flippers.

Ruffling her downy head- this time only for a moment- I saw the first and brightest stars wink into the dusk. "Looks like night's about to fall. Does it get chilly?"

* * *

The answer was yes. Not intolerably so, holed up in a cave as we were, but the kind of cold you get near the ocean. Brisk, and full of salt. Piplup herself seemed mostly unbothered, which came as a relief to me. She hadn't been freezing half to death nightly, at least.

I shifted on the makeshift 'bed' Piplup had made for me, settling in for the night. "Piplup? Thanks, again. I really mean it."

"Pip," she said, waving me off with a sleepy flipper.

"...Yeah. Good night."

"Pip lup."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

This chapter is being published mere hours after the last, if only because I wrote ahead of myself and feel that this 'meat' of the story should be put up now. Please let me know what you think by reviewing, as I will be actively writing this story in my free time for at least another week. Expect chapters to continue growing in length.

Regards,

Verdin Grey


	4. Chapter 4: Hot Spring

That night, I dreamt of home.

I walked through that empty husk, wind biting at my skin. My room, emptied; my father's, missing the one thing it needed. Only, this time-

This was not the first time I dreamt of home.

Sunlight crept into my eyes, forcing me to crack them open. Rock, not painted ceiling, greeted me. There was a certain finality to it, to be honest, but it didn't bother me as much as I felt it should.

* * *

"Good morning, Piplup," I said, stretching and yawning.

Piplup grunted, tumbling from her nest. "Lup."

I smirked at that. "Not a morning person… err, Pokémon, are you?"

"Piiip. Luuuup," she complained, pushing herself up. Piplup rubbed her eyes, blinking at me. "Pip."

In that instant, two wires must have crossed, because I _got_ it. "Yeah, I'm real. Been alone for a while?"

She gave a languid nod, wandering to the cave entrance. "Lup lup pip piplup, lup _pip_ lup lup."

And there it goes. "I have no idea what you just said. Either you become a psychic, or I teach you English."

Rolling her eyes, Piplup presented a third option: Charades. She mimed plucking something, then putting it her mouth. Giving an impressively disgusted face, she spat it out.

"You're... sick of berries?" I guessed, moreso based on my own thoughts.

Nodding with great enthusiasm, she mimed a flicking gesture. It sparked a memory, of fishing with my father on the ocean.

"Fishing? You want to fish?" I inferred, stroking my fuzzy chin in thought.

Piplup beamed. "Pip!"

I chuckled. God, she was _adorable_. "You're good at charades, you know. Have you ever considered a career as an actor?"

 _That_ earned me a smack on the nose.

* * *

Our resolve to not eat berries lasted about an hour. We had to tide ourselves over somehow, after all. Following our light breakfast, Piplup wandered off while I attempted to start a fire. I assumed she went to catch a fish, but we _were_ speaking two different languages.

Using my advanced knowledge of geology, I hit rocks together for about ten minutes. I had determined that rock X and rock B, when hit together, made sparks, and produced a fire with it.

Just as I was growing anxious, Piplup returned with a dead Magikarp. They are _huge_ , by the way.

Tottering under its weight, Piplup tossed it next to the fire. She looked proud, if tired. I ruffled her head, saying, "Thanks! Let's get this on a spit. Or whatever it is you do with fish."

Magikarp is much like carp in taste, but with a much meatier texture. It is also, most importantly, not berries. The cooking and eating brought us to around noon, as I had to make a knife from rocks. The wait was well worth it, but it left us coated in filth somehow.

"Piplup, are there any springs on this island?"

She looked up, tilting her head and tapping her beak. "Lup?"

"Bathing, fresh water, et cetera," I explained. Upon seeing her open her beak, I added, "You shoot fresh water, but that feels awkward to drink. Or bathe in."

Piplup brightened, leaping onto my head. "Pip lup!"

"There is an actual spring? That's... convenient."

* * *

What was less convenient were the tracks surrounding the hot spring. They looked sort of canine, with long pads and three gouges for claws. Judging by Piplup's expression, she didn't recognize them.

On the other hand, it was a hot spring. A hot spring!

"I am using this later, you know," I stated, muscles informing me that yes, I really should.

"Piiip." Piplup, warming herself on a rock near the spring, nodded in agreement.

We found the hot spring on the other side of the island- inset in the rocky outcrop that dominated it. By my limited knowledge, that meant it was most likely a volcanic island. That meant it was like Hawaii or Japan, and part of a chain of islands.

That aside, the tracks meant we had company on the island. From what little I'd seen, bugs (or rather, Bug types) were very common. I couldn't tell if they were intelligent, but they didn't look it. Though I was unable to remember all 802 (I think?), most of the canines at least looked smarter.

Piplup rolled over, and after a brief scrabble slipped into the spring.

A chuckle escaped me, earning a glare. "Sorry," I started, trying to contain my laughter, "It's just so... undignified. Need a hand?" I extended a hand, and grasped her flipper inside of it.

"You've been so nice to a complete stranger. Without you, I'd be in a rough spot," I continued, words tumbling from my mouth, "And it's nice to have a friend, you know?"

She tilted her head, her expression difficult to read. "Pip."

"That's not helpful in the slightest."

Piplup, giggling, leapt from the water and onto my head, knocking us both in.

I let the laughter go this time, and I felt a great weight leave my shoulders.

* * *

Paws tread without a sound on stone, creeping up on the strangers. Eyes, shining like rubies, watched the human and Piplup leave the hot spring- together, without a care in the world.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hello everyone! I promised this chapter would come up far earlier than it did, but I made a lot of alterations to the story- it originally was going down a much darker path. I am still struggling with the formatting, as it doesn't make much sense to me- I have to save it as a .odt file, then upload it, then insert all the line breaks manually! Please leave a review to let me know what you thought!

Regards,

Verdin Grey


	5. Chapter 5: Construction

I dreamt of home again.

I walked through that empty husk, wind biting at my tear-stained skin. My room, emptied; my father's, missing the one thing it needed most. Only, this time, a woman at the window-

She turned-

I often dreamt of home.

* * *

The sun rose, and with it me. Piplup rose with my arms, groaning. At some point I'd grabbed her, using her as a stuffed animal as I slept.

"Sorry."

"Lup," she grunted, eyes half-lidded with sleep.

I ruffled her head, letting my fingers slide through the soft down. "C'mon, Piplup. Let's build ourselves a proper shelter- a home."

"Pip?" she questioned, still drowsy.

"So the rock around here is tough- I've seen a few that might work as an axehead. Why not build a nicer shelter? I've done a bit of carpentry, and we don't have much else to do."

Piplup sighed, leaping from my arms. "Pip pip lup pip lup piip piplup lup lup pip lup?"

I stared at her with a blank face. "What?"

She groaned, slapping herself in the face. "Lup."

Grinning, I pat her on the head. "This is gonna be a pain, but _why not_?"

* * *

"Agh!" I shouted, rubbing my arms, "Why?"

Chopping trees, as it turns out, is hard. I got halfway into a tree about half a meter thick before my arms utterly gave out. Were it not for my somewhat active lifestyle at home, I doubt this project would be happening any time soon. As it was, muscles I didn't even know existed were crying for mercy. Piplup, getting into the swing of things, had used what I think was Metal Claw on the tree to help.

"Luuup…" Piplup whispered, rubbing her sore flippers.

While useful, it seemed to hurt her muscles just as quickly. The poor penguin looked ready to drop, but her eyes sparkled with newfound enthusiasm. We'd gotten a whole tree down between us, and tomorrow we'd turn it into posts for the house. That was one tree down out of, say, eight for the structural parts.

Why so complicated?

After a lunch of berries and Magikarp, Piplup and I had spent a long time sketching plans for a house while our bodies rested. Since we weren't really doing much else, it seemed like a good idea.

"How about a trip to the hot spring?" I suggested, pushing myself off the ground.

"Piiip, lup! Piplup," she demanded, not moving from her limp, ragdoll-like position on my leg.

Sighing theatrically, I replied, "Fine, I'll carry you." Sliding my arms under her, I held the little ball of down tight. "You owe me, though."

Piplup gave a halfhearted shake of the head. "Pip…"

* * *

Day two was slower, as we'd decided to pace ourselves. We still managed to cut down a tree- and visit the hot spring, of course- but the day rushed by.

I did not dream of home that night.

* * *

"Do you-" I started, grunting in exertion, "Do you think these are uneven?"

"Piip…" came the thoughtful reply.

My arms screamed. "Please, I can't do this all day."

She shrugged, tilted her head, and gestured to her left. "Lup."

Wrapping my arms around the post- and with it, the entire frame for that side of the house- I pulled it towards me. "Ugh. That any better?"

"Pip-lup!"

"Great! That's the walls down," I said with pride. It'd taken us the better part of two weeks to carve the posts, make the frames, and build the walls. We'd also put up the frame for the roof as part of the deal. Two. Whole. Weeks.

And that's because it was about 2 and a half meters (just over 8 feet) to a side. Not huge by any means, but probably the limit of what we could do with our carpentry skills. Large enough, in fact, for our 'friend' with the big tracks to join us.

Patting down the dirt, firmly planting the wall post in the ground, I glanced up at 'The Rock' that dominated the island. The shadow shifted out of sight, as always. Whomever our 'friend' was, they'd caused us no harm, so I'd reasoned it wasn't worth worrying about.

"How're we gonna get the crossbeam up?" I asked casually, wiping sweat from my brow, "I'm thinking sort of pulley- we'd need rope of course. Or we could tug it up the side."

Frowning, Piplup hopped closer. Originally, we'd set up by the beach, but a nasty storm moved us to our current location. Placed only a minute walk from the hot spring, this clearing had space for more structures if we ever got really bored.

Back on Earth, I'd reflected several times, I had done so much less with my days. Yes, college classes kept me busy, but a hard day's work it was not. Working from sunrise to sunset day after day felt so much better, almost cleansing. Did I miss 'home'? Somewhat.

"Piplup!"

A stinging pain bloomed on my nose, snapping me back to reality with a sheepish look. "Sorry," I muttered, rubbing the back of my head, "What'd you say?"

Ruffling her feathers, she gestured to her sketch on the ground. "Pip."

Rubbing my chin in thought, I nodded. She'd drawn those thin palm leaves, with an arrow to what looked like a rope. During our free time, we'd experimented with weaving more complex containers from palm leaves. They were surprisingly flexible even when dried, actually.

"I see. We'd have to weave for a very long time to do that, so we might as well start on it for other tasks. The crossbeams are light enough for me to lift, with some help. How about I get up there, you push and I pull. I'll be able to lift the posts and notch them into place."

Tilting her head again, Piplup nodded. "Pip!"

I grinned. "Alright! Do we have time today?" Shading my eyes, I barely spotted the sun as it crept below the treeline. "No, unfortunately. We'll have to save it for tomorrow."

Shrugging, Piplup opened her beak to speak- only to snap it shut as her stomach rumbled. She rubbed her stomach sheepishly.

"I'll get the fire if you get the fish," I said conspiratorially, "Having dinner early wouldn't hurt."

Saluting me, Piplup dashed off towards the ocean.

Which was any direction, really, but my point stands.

* * *

Without the slightest crinkle of grass or rustle of greenery, ruby eyes approached the firelight. A snout twitched- more feline than canine- and inhaled the scent of cooked meat. Something rumbled inside of them, but it was ignored.

Nights would grow colder soon, the creature knew, and fire was a heat source. On the other hand, the raggedy human was talking loudly of something called 'Star Wars' to his diminutive partner. Yet another crazy human.

They were oblivious to its presence, as always; just how the creature liked it.

* * *

I dreamt of home that night.

I walked through that empty husk, wind biting at my tear-stained face. My room, emptied; my father's, missing the one thing I needed most. Only, this time, a woman in black by the window-

She turned, long hair billowing, a question forming on her lips-

I often dreamt of home.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

This chapter was quite interesting for me. Let me know what you thought in the reviews!

Regards,

Verdin Grey


	6. Chapter 6: Completed Frame

"Heave!"

"Pip!"

"One more! Push as hard as you can!" I shouted, voice cracking under the strain. My hands were reddened, pulling up on a support beam from my perch.

Piplup, visibly shaking with effort, gave one final push. "Piiiip!"

The crossbeam, leaning against the side of the soon-to-be hut, was shoved up and firmly in my grip. Grunting, I lugged it onto my shoulder- and after a strained pause to adjust my footing, I slid it into place on the shallowly sloped 'roof'.

"Ahhh!" sighing loudly with relief, muscles groaning, I slid down to the ground. "There. We. Go!" Bending down, I high-fived Piplup. High-flippered?

Wiping the sweat from my brow- a frequent activity, really- I belted out a laugh. "It's done. Well, the hardest part is over- now for actual walls!"

Piplup nodded. We planned- with a lot of charades- to vertically fit the logs into the notched frame. Once we figured out nails, we'd upgrade, but neither of us had the first clue about metalworking or wooden pegs.

So now we needed more trees. Not nearly as wide, but more nonetheless.

Hopefully, our 'friend' wasn't much of a tree hugger. They regularly visited the hot spring, which meant they had good taste, but we knew very little beyond that.

"But let's get on that tomorrow. I say we've earned ourselves a feast!" I said excitedly, catching the growing exhaustion radiating from Piplup.

Brightening at the prospect, Piplup cheered. "Pip-lup!"

Rubbing my stomach, I leaned back onto a stump. "That may have been-" I paused, burping loudly, "-excuse me- a bit too much. Marinating it in the juices was a good idea, though. Delicious."

Piplup fell on top of me, head nestled under mine. Humming in agreement, she curled up on my chest. Those two wires crossed again, this time with a jolt- and I understood.

"Hmm... yeah, why not sleep here tonight? Under the stars?"

A hand snaked up to Piplup, pulling her even closer.

* * *

I dreamt of home that night.

I walked through that empty husk, wind biting at my tear-stained face. My room, emptied; my father's, missing the one thing I needed most. Only, this time, a woman in black stood at the window- a woman I knew.

She turned, long hair billowing, a question forming on her lips- a question I knew all too well.

I often dreamt of home.

* * *

 **Author's Node:**

This chapter is very, very short, and I am sorry about that. The next chapter should be up soon, though!

Regards,

Verdin Grey


	7. Chapter 7: Gift

The sun burned through my eyelids, forcing me halfway to wakefulness. I groaned, stretching awkwardly around the bird-shaped weight on my chest. It was warm, and grumbled at the movement.

"Sorry, Piplup. Didn't mean to wake you," I murmured, ruffling her feathers. Another kind of warmth filled me then, a fuzzy warmth that reminded me of a blanket on a winter day. "You deserve the extra rest."

Piplup grumbled again, seeking to nuzzle further into me.

Something clicked in that moment, and my jaw opened thoughtlessly. "And, well- this is really pleasant, you know?"

My friend- one that I'd felt more at home with than any human- nodded sleepily on my chest. "Lup..."

"This place we're building?" I whispered, "I'm looking forward to calling it home." My eyes, still heavy with sleep, slipped closed regardless of the morning sun.

* * *

My home rose up before me, wind biting at my tear-stained face-

"Who are you?" a voice proclaimed, roaring like the ocean. Rushing forward, pushing in like a tide, a fog enveloped everything in sight. Something resembling the half-built frame of a house loomed far away, but beyond that I saw nothing else.

The voice returned, more physical presence than sound. "Who are you, human?" It was clearly feminine in nature, resonating pleasantly- it was deep, but not old or rough.

Working my jaw for a second, I formed a reply. "Mason," I replied, the word coming out rustily.

There was a heavy pause- the fog felt weighty, swirling and pulsing. "You washed up on my shores, ragged but intact. I do not care for names, little one- perhaps my question was not rightly phrased. Who are you, human? Who are you to dwell in this dreamworld, to arrive on my shores?"

This being a dream would explain the fog. On the other hand- her shores? "I don't know, really- but sorry about the trees, if this is your island."

Milky fog paused in its movement before reversing its direction entirely. A salty breeze blew by, and I had the distinct impression it was a sigh. "I do not know what I expected from a human. Your kind barely understand _themselves_. I care little for trees, but I appreciate the sentiment."

"Are we good on the hot spring, too? I saw pawprints there- are those yours?"

She laughed, a sound like rolling thunder. "You have interesting priorities, human, and you have misinterpreted what I meant. This island is not mine- my domain is the sea."

So a psychic type or something? Maybe even Kyogre or Lugia? In that case, hey, I'm talking to a deity. "Oh, sweet. Feel free to stop by anytime, then, it's a nice hot spring."

The fog curled away, washing out like the tide. "You are... interesting. We will meet again- but for now, a gift from the depths will do. Enjoy."

* * *

It was many days later during dinner preparations that something came to break the monotony. I had almost forgotten about the promised 'gift'- the work took all of my concentration.

Of course, every day here was still a joy to be a part of. It's just that by doing the same type of thing every day, the time just blended together.

It started when Piplup burst from the undergrowth, chattering excitedly.

"What is it, Piplup? Did little Timmy fall down a well?"

Piplup froze, levelling a flat glare at me. She might not understand what I was referencing, but at this point she knew my tone well enough. Hell, I didn't get that reference until after a quest in Fallout: New Vegas made me look it up. A penguin on an island had no chance.

Sighing, she waddled over to me and grabbed me by my battered shirt. "Piiiip! Pip pip Piplup lup pip!"

"Coming, coming!" I said, nearly unseated by her impressive strength. "Let's just put this fire out, first."

* * *

As Piplup half-lead, half-dragged me through the forest, I reflected on her new strength. Our work on the- almost complete!- house had enormously improved our fitness, Piplup's especially. She could maintain her Metal Claw for a few hours now, and lift logs many times her (diminutive) weight with minimal effort. On my end, no more flab!

"This better be worth it, Pip-" I started, stomach rumbling.

In an incredible display of grace, Piplup leapt up and smacked me on the nose. As I rubbed it, she waggled a flipper at me in admonishment. "Pip-lup!"

Before I could form a sufficient and snide reply, Piplup yanked us out of the undergrowth and onto the beach- the one where she found me, actually. I'd been back before to see if anything else washed up, but before today it was quite bare.

Looking past a beaming and smug Piplup, I saw a rusted red shipping crate lying neatly on the shore. It was one of those car-sized ones, with a heavy padlock on the door. As we watched, the padlock fell off, allowing the door to swing open.

"Huh," I observed wittily, "That's a shipping crate."

Piplup gave a resigned sigh, shaking her head. "Pip."

Taking the lead, I approached the crate. Up close, I could see that its base was heavily encrusted with barnacles. "Come on, let's take a peek inside. This could be huge!" I said excitedly.

Despite the obvious weathering on the shipping container, the wooden storage crates inside were entirely free of water damage. Picking a random one, I grabbed at the lid and pulled to no avail. "Piplup, could you lend me a flipper?"

Nodding, Piplup brought up her right flipper, which had taken on a silvery sheen. Sticking it between the lid and the base, she yanked upwards. The lid lifted just enough for me to get my fingers under it, which was perfect. "Clever!" I praised, pulling the lid the rest of the way off.

We looked in, Piplup on my shoulder, then at each other with huge grins.

Canned. Food! While not the tastiest stuff in the world-

"We don't have to eat berries when we're lazy! This is incredible!" I shouted, pumping a fist. I grabbed Piplup in a tight hug, smiling. "With this, we could _live_ here, not just survive!"

Piplup chattered excitedly, eyes gleaming.

In that moment, something clicked, and the island became more like home than shelter.

* * *

Beyond the shore, a massive shape nodded in satisfaction before vanishing into the depths.

* * *

From the cliff it called its home, the ruby-eyed creature watched carefully. The raggedy human and his penguin companion would survive- and most likely thrive- on the island. Deep in contemplation, it vanished into the undergrowth.

* * *

With Piplup nestled in my arms, I dreamt of my old home that night.

I walked through that empty husk, the wind barely bothering me. My old room, emptied; my father's, reminding me of his shining eyes and warm heart. Only, this time, a woman in black stood at the window- a woman I knew.

She turned, long hair billowing, a question forming on her lips- a question I knew all too well. "Are you happy here, Mason?"

I knew my answer now, I think.

I often dreamt of my old home.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hello everyone!

I'm not quite happy with this chapter, as I feel like I made a mistake somewhere. Leave a review and let me know what you think!

Regards,

Verdin Grey

 **EDIT: Changed primary genre to FRIENDSHIP, as that is realistically the primary focus.**


	8. Chapter 8: Container

A shipping container of canned food is, as it turns out, incredibly heavy. There was no way in hell we were moving it, and there was no way in hell we were just leaving it out in the open.

"Root coming up on my right," I grunted, my ankle stinging. I carefully shifted my grip on the wooden crate. "There's a bit of a hill up ahead. Do you want to switch?"

Piplup's reply was clipped- her diminutive frame was not suited for this, but I couldn't carry one of these alone. "Pip."

"Right. Stand still, I'll swing around."

* * *

The walk to the house- our _home_ \- from the beach took three minutes, now that the underbrush was cleared. The path wove between two small hills before going up to where our home was, and I took comfort in seeing our network of trails slowly build. Some of the braver bugs had taken to lurking along the trail, looking for snacks.

Carrying a crate took about half an hour the first time, and about fifteen minutes every time after. We took a lot of breaks- lunch, the hot spring, and just relaxing- but managed to get through about half the shipping container on the first day.

Embers trailed through the sky, tracing brilliant lines against the constellations. Piplup burrowed into my side, chewing on a chunk of Magikarp held between two flippers. We'd gotten very good at cutting them up. "Where I come from," I start, something hitching in my chest, "You can't see this many stars."

"Pip?" Piplup queried, talking around a mouthful of food. She blinked as she looked at me, and I could almost see her thought process moving. After a pause, moved so she could get a better angle. "Pip lup?"

I waved a hand at the prismatic smattering of stars, weaving their way in beautiful constellations and stunning clusters across the sky. "The cities were so bright that they made the dimmer stars hard to see, even miles and miles away," My heart sank, "I used to know the constellations by heart. Right there-"

A finger traced its way along the sky, following a long-forgotten memory. The stars were where I remembered them being, even on a different world. "That's the north star. My-" I paused, throat catching-

" _Are you happy here, Mason?"_

"I'm glad I remember it at all. If you follow my finger..." I took a long, wavering breath. Piplup moved closer again, and my hand steadied.

* * *

Ruby eyes watched, lurking in the fringes of light. It observed with interest as the human spoke of stars and shapes in the sky, his gestures firm but his trembling. The Piplup would speak, and almost without thinking the human would respond.

As the fire burned low and the voices grew quiet, the ruby-eyed creature drifted into dreams.

* * *

Setting down the last crate as the sun crept low, I let out a grunt. My back was unhappy with me, practically crying out at my mistreatment of it. Silently apologizing to myself in the morning, that grunt turned into a painful groan as cracked my back. Wiping a bit of sweat out of my eyes, I plopped down on the crate. "That was..."

"Pip _lup_ ," Piplup agreed slowly, wiggling its flippers in a way that I found difficult to describe. She looked sore and tired, moving herself to ease pained muscles. I leaned over to ruffle the feathers on her head, which she accepted with good-natured grumbling.

Looking at the wall of crates we'd made- two high, on account of Piplup's height- I sighed. "Thanks, Piplup- this can't be easy work for you."

"Lup. Piplup lup piiip," She replied, rubbing a flipper against her back, "Pip pip lup?"

I paused, attempting to guess and digest her statement. "You're sore," I began, encouraged by her nod, "And want to go to the spring?"

She puffed her chest out and nodded, pausing for a moment to gesture at my head. "Lup."

I shrugged, leaning over with a grin as my back prepared for discomfort. "Sure."

She leapt onto my head and starting pointing with a flipper. "Piiip-lup!"

* * *

"So what are we going to do with the crates?" I asked, my back unknotting itself in ways that were not exactly present. The heat of the water was a comforting weight on my aching muscles as I looked into the steam.

Piplup tapped a flipper to her beak, which drew a smirk out of me. Seeing just her head out of the water was a little bit silly, somehow. "Piip..."

I shrugged. "I don't know either, honestly. It's probably all food, which is good- and it won't spoil any time soon. We could turn parts of the crates into siding for the house, I guess."

Giving a noncommittal grunt, Piplup sank into the water completely. I followed the trail of bubbles as it looped lazily about the spring. Something unknotted inside of me-

" _Are you happy here, Mason?"_

I smiled as Piplup rose from the water, settling into a slow drift towards me. Bugs I probably couldn't name chattered as the sun set. A cool breeze wandered through as I watched the stars.

I'd seen the ruby eyes at the edge of the fire last night. They'd left before dawn, heading to wherever it hunted or lived, but I knew they'd gotten very close to us. Given we were still alive and unharmed, it wasn't out to get us.

And there those eyes were, lurking in the steam. I made eye contact with Piplup, flicking my head towards the ruby eyes. She nodded- she'd seen them too, apparently.

"You can come in. We won't hurt you," I said softly.

"Lup, lup piplup," Piplup said. _You're safe here._

" _Are you happy here, Mason?"_

A few scratches as claws hit stone, and a _plip_ as something slipped into the spring.

 _Yes_ , I thought to myself, _I think I am._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Apologies for the incredibly short chapter and the very long delay. This chapter has been struggling to escape my brain for several months now, and has actually reached the point where it inhibited my ability to try and write other things. While it's not my best work, it is an important stepping stone for getting back into the swing of things.

Regards,

Verdin Grey


End file.
